What's Up Docs? podcast | Listen online for free

153 episodes

Doctors’ Notes: Body Odour
23/06/2026 | 30 mins.
Chris and Xand continue their conversation about body odour with Matthew Cobb, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Manchester.
They explore whether it’s possible to predict how someone experiences an odour based on their DNA, and how our sense of smell compares to that of other animals.
Many people lost their sense of smell during the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing greater awareness to just how central this sense is to our everyday lives. They discuss the role that smelling ourselves and each other plays in everyday life, what happens when that sense is lost, and what support is available for those experiencing anosmia.
If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Matthew Cobb
Producer: Jo Rowntree
Assistant Producer: Dr Samara Linton
Researcher: Dr Samara Linton
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Technical Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
What does my body odour say about my health?
23/06/2026 | 28 mins.
Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing. In this episode, they explore something that affects every one of us - body odour.
Body odour plays a significant role in our emotional and social lives, and even in our health. Chris and Xand explore what body odour actually is, where it comes from, and why it varies so much from person to person. They also examine the many ways we try to mask our natural scent and separate fact from fiction when it comes to what our body odour can tell us about each other and our health.
To help unpack it all, they’re joined by Matthew Cobb, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at the University of Manchester, whose research explores how smell evolved and how animals use it to navigate and communicate.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Matthew Cobb
Producer: Jo Rowntree
Assistant Producer: Dr Samara Linton
Researcher: Dr Samara Linton
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Technical Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
Doctors’ Notes: Healthy Longevity Special at Hay Festival
16/06/2026 | 48 mins.
This extended episode of What's Up Docs? features Chris and Xand van Tulleken's full live conversation with Professor Devi Sridhar at Hay Festival.
Going deeper than the main episode, they explore the tension between individual responsibility and structural change, and why asking "how do I stay healthy?" might be the wrong question altogether. Devi draws on her work across governments and health systems worldwide to examine what genuinely moves the needle on population health. Chris and Xand also ask how Devi's work shapes the way she lives, and what single policy change she'd make tomorrow if she could.
If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Devi Sridhar
Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Researcher: Grace Revill
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Video Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
How to Live Healthier for Longer
16/06/2026 | 28 mins.
Welcome to What's Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the ideas shaping our health and wellbeing.
In this episode, recorded live at Hay Festival, they're joined by Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, to ask how we can live longer, healthier lives.
They dig into the difference between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, and why the latter is falling in places like the UK. Devi unpacks the biggest factors that shape how well we age, from diet and exercise to mental health and the environments we live in, and shares what decades of working across countries and health systems has taught her.
They challenge the idea that health is simply a matter of individual choice, exploring how the society you're born into can shape your chances of a long and healthy life more than any supplement or wellness hack.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Devi Sridhar
Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Researcher: Grace Revill
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Video Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.
Doctors' Notes: Friendship
09/06/2026 | 22 mins.
Chris and Xand van Tulleken continue their conversation about friendship with Dr Tiffany Watt Smith, writer and culture historian.
Tiffany became interested in researching friendships after a moment of crisis in her own friendships. Together, Chris, Xand and Tiffany discuss the difference between male and female friendships and how that has changed over time. They explore the idea that we are living through a friendship recession and what that means for our social connections. And they look at digital friendships and their importance.
If you’d like to share your thoughts on this or any other topic covered on the podcast, you email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or Whatsapp on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Dr Tiffany Watt Smith
Producer: Faye Lyons-White
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Researcher: Faye Lyons-White
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Visual Producer: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Olga Reed
At the BBC:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4

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About What's Up Docs?

In this BBC Radio 4 podcast, Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves.Although they are identical twins, Chris and Xand are very different and they never stop thinking and arguing about science and health. They want to lead healthy, happy lives and as doctors, they want this for everyone. Yet they tussle over how best to get there.When it comes to looking after our own health, it can be confusing. Medicine and science produce amazing new treatments and diagnostics every day and we are bombarded with so many headlines and pieces of advice; but how are we supposed to know what's really best for us and then successfully apply it to our lives?Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken embrace this challenge; even as they marvel at the scientific breakthroughs, they grapple with the competing claims about health, wellbeing and how to live.From understanding testosterone therapies to microplastics in our diets, and the concept of 'hangriness' to the power of saying no - this podcast deals with the health stresses we all face every day, while taking on board how the decisions by corporations and governments affect all our health.Each episode, Chris and Xand are joined by an expert guest to examine the latest research, psychological insights, and data, to help listeners navigate the overwhelming amount of information and advice out there. They talk about the trials and tribulations in their own lives in their characteristically witty way - each teasing the other as they search for solutions. Xand has trouble sleeping , Chris has noisy knees, one of them has got an embarrassing itch. They have different ways of looking at things and find it really helpful to get the other one's point of view. These doctors are trying their best and encouraging listeners to do the same.Email: whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk Whatsapp: 08000 665123A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4.

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